No Sympathy
by Muldoon22
Summary: Natasha feels no pity for Steve after one month since being unfrozen. Until a stranger changes her mind.


"What do you think he's thinking about?" Tony asked as the Avengers watched their Captain sitting, deep in thought.

"Maybe about the past." Clint suggested. "Perhaps trying to adjust to his new life."

"I feel bad for him. Frozen in time for seventy years, everyone he knew is gone. I don't think I could live with that." Bruce mused.

Natasha looked unsympathetic. "I don't feel bad for him."

"Why is that, Lady Natasha?" Thor asked surprised.

"He knew what he was doing, he made his choice." she replied. "I respect him, but I don't feel sorry for him. At all." and with that she walked away.

"That was cold. Even for her." Tony said, Clint nodding.

* * *

Natasha was walking down the hall to her quarters. A figure from around the corner.

"Say, you're part of the Avengers. Black Widow, right?"

"Yes." she replied, disinterested.

"Hard to believe that happened a week ago."

"Believe it."

"It's also been a month since they found Captain America in the ice."

_That would explain the sudden withdrawal, _she thought to herself.

"It's sad, huh?"

"Not to me, no."

The man looked surprised. "Really? Why?"

She shrugged. "To me, he was fully aware of what the consequences were."

"But it's sad because of what he lost."

Natasha remained unfazed. "If I were there, I'd probably have sympathy for him."

"Then let's test that." the man walked to Natasha and grabbed onto her shoulders. Seconds later, they disappeared in a flash of light.

* * *

They appeared seconds later. Natasha backed away startled before becoming angry.

"Where the hell are we?" she demanded.

"1945. Moments after Steve Rogers defeated the Red Skull." the man replied.

Natasha looked around. She soon spotted the pilot's chair and approached it. Steve was midway through a conversation.

"There's not gonna be a safe landing, but I can try and force it down."

A voice belonging to Peggy Carter sounded out from the other line. "I'll-I'll get Howard on the line. He'll know what to do."

"There's not enough time. This thing's moving too fast and it's heading for New York." he paused. "I gotta put her in the water."

"Please don't do this. W-we have time. We can work it out."

"Right now I'm in the middle of nowhere. If I wait any longer a lot of people are gonna die. Peggy, this is my choice."

Steve began navigating the plane downward. "Peggy..."

"I'm here."

"I'm gonna need a rain check on that dance."

"All right. A week next Saturday at The Stork Club."

"You've got it."

"Eight o'clock on the dot. Don't you dare be late. Understood?"

"You know, I still don't know how to dance."

"I'll show you how. Just be there."

"We'll have the band play something slow."

Natasha noticed the plane about to crash.

"I'd hate to step on your..."

The plane made impact and sent Steve flying out of his seat. As water began to fill into the cockpit, the man with Natasha snapped his fingers, teleporting them outside of the plane and onto the ice outside. Natasha watched as the plane sank toward. The man smirked slightly when he noticed Natasha's eyes water.

"So that's it?" she asked.

"I wish." the man responded.

Moments later, a hand became visible. Steve, soaked to the bone and shivering like crazy, began to crawl towards the man and Natasha. Rather than bumping into them, he crawled right through them and laid down on his back, watching as the plane sank. He opened his hand to reveal his pocketwatch to look at Peggy's photo once last time. Unfortunately it was water damaged and Peggy's face was smudged out.

"Damn." he stuttered. "I hope I don't forget what she looked like. then again, that's impossible." he chuckled as the cold slowly started to take hold. He breathed heavily a few more times before he stopped and froze solid.

A tear trickled down Natasha's face.

"Now you see." the man said. "Seventy years of loneliness." he snapped his fingers and soon the scene before them began to speed up, with Steve becoming coated in ice and the wing of the plane solidifying to the ground. "Seventy years of laying in the ice as history slowly began to forget about him. And over time the likes of Chester's Phillips, Howard Stark, Dum Dum Dugan, Gabe Jones and more recently Peggy Carter died, leaving behind no one to remember him."

He snapped his fingers again and they were back in the Helicarrier's corridor.

"I hope now you sympathize with Captain Rogers." he turned and walked away, leaving Natasha to slide down to the ground and cry.

* * *

Some time later, Steve came across her. Alarmed, he rushed to her and kneeled down beside her.

"Agent Romanoff, are you alright? Are you hurt?"

Natasha looked up to him and stared into his blue eyes before grappling him into a hug. He patted her back to comfort her, but was confused as to what the hug was for.

She unravelled her hold on him and put her hands on his cheeks.

"I saw what happened to you. I understand your pain now." she said, resting her forehead on his.

It struck him that she was talking about him coming out of the ice. How did she see it though? But this thought was at the back of his mind. The intimacy that was between them made him want to kiss her, but he didn't know if he should.

It seemed she thought the same thing as she planted one on him. She found it strange how easy it was for her to melt into his touch, considering how unsympathetic to she was towards him earlier, but it was quite easy.

Steve broke off and smiled at her. He stood and offered her his hand. She took it and levied herself up.

"I haven't felt sympathy for anyone like this before." she said, as Steve locked his arm around hers.

"Hopefully by the end of the night, that's not all you'll feel for me."

Natasha raised an eyebrow in playful curiosity. "Is that an invitation?"

"It can be." and they walked off down the hallway.

_fin_


End file.
